Washington and Tel Aviv discussed a contingency plan early in the Iran conflict that would have placed former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the head of a new government in Tehran.
Plan to reinstall a hard‑line leader
According to a report based on a New York Times article, U.S. officials and Israeli strategists entertained the idea of reinstating Ahmadinejad despite his well‑known anti‑Israel and anti‑American rhetoric. The former president, who served from 2005 to 2013, repeatedly called for the elimination of Israel, making the proposal appear contradictory to the allies’ broader goals.
The scheme hinged on the belief that Ahmadinejad could be leveraged to stabilize Iran under a familiar, if extreme, figure, thereby reducing the likelihood of a fragmented power vacuum. However, the concept never moved beyond preliminary talks. On the war’s first day, 28 February, an Israeli strike targeting his Tehran residence injured him, prompting a reassessment of the strategy.
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Sources note that Ahmadinejad survived the attack but grew disillusioned, fearing he would become a pawn in a larger geopolitical game. No official documents have confirmed formal adoption, and the discussion appears to have faded as the conflict evolved.
From a cautious standpoint, reinstating a hard‑line figure would likely have faced substantial domestic opposition in both the United States and Israel. Even if the idea had survived the initial shock of the February strike, aligning it with broader strategic objectives would have required a delicate balancing act that might have undermined coalition cohesion.
The practical challenges of managing a regime led by someone with such a polarizing reputation could have introduced new risks, potentially prolonging the conflict rather than shortening it.
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Meanwhile, undersea cable projects have also been stalled. Three high‑capacity fiber‑optic lines slated to connect Europe and Asia via the Persian Gulf remain on hold, with contractors now tasked with scanning the seabed for unexploded ordnance before any future work can resume.
Overall, the early discussion about reinstalling Ahmadinejad and the ongoing threats to maritime and communications infrastructure reveal the many challenges that the Iran war presents to policymakers, businesses, and civilians alike.